Vegans have coined a new word – vystopia – to express the struggles of being vegan in a non-vegan world.

Vegan psychologist and author Dr Clare Mann, who created the term, said it described the traumatic experience of vegans when they became aware of the cruelty humans inflicted on animals.

“For many vegans and animal activists, knowing how animals are treated is a burden that can lead to a number of psychological issues including anxiety, depression, alienation and post-traumatic stress disorder,” Dr Mann told the Spring Vegan Festival at St Kilda Town Hall recently.

While vystopia is not classified as a mental illness, Dr Mann said it was a psychological response much like an existential crisis.

“It comes from an awareness of the trance-like collusion with a dystopian world. Everything changes and the world as you knew it is completely different,” said the author of the 2018 book Vystopia: The Anguish of Being Vegan in a Non-Vegan World.

“The majority of these animals are factory-farmed, where they can be confined for the entirety of their lives in sheds or cages, subjected to unnatural diets and environments, and exposed to painful practices and procedures, often without pain relief,” the report said.

Dr Mann said vegans and animal activists often felt isolated and judged by people around them, and this could lead to loss of interest in all things not related to solving the issue.

She said those who suffered from vystopia should develop self-care rituals that would help prevent them from being overwhelmed by environmental triggers.

“Triggers are everywhere and can even be as simple as walking past a local butcher, or strip of restaurants that serve meat,” Dr Mann said.

“Creating a calming ritual, such as controlled breathing exercises or other forms of meditation, will help deal with the trauma that comes with being vegan in the world we live in.”